E. Calvin Beisner

Credentials

Background

E. Calvin Beisner is a former Professor of Social Ethics at Knox Theological Seminary. He was a member of the faculty as an associate professor of historical theology and social ethics from July 2000 through December 2007, but left Knox at the end of 2007.

Key Quotes

“The idea of human-caused climate change is “un-biblical. The pope should back off. The Catholic church is correct on the ethical principles but has been misled on the science.” [20]

“Sad to say, despite Pope Francis’s best intentions, the policies he recommends to mitigate global warming would make it far more difficult to overcome poverty. And, ironically, by prolonging and even spreading poverty, those policies would put more of the natural environment at risk.” [17]

“Environmentalism, as a movement, is an alternative world view and a substitute for Christianity. My principal concern about environmentalism is a religious, logical, ethical concern. My secondary concern is that its science and economics are often flawed in ways that would point us towards policies that are especially destructive and harmful to the world's poor and, secondarily, everyone else.” [14]

0:56-1:27 “God has said that all of the various cycles on which life depends are going to be sustained by his providential care from now until God ends heaven and Earth themselves in the last judgment. Now that too, I think, is contrary to fears that man-made climate change could bring an end to the various different climate cycles on which we depend and on which other forms of life depend for our thriving.” [13]

Key Deeds

“Sad to say, despite Pope Francis’s best intentions, the policies he recommends to mitigate global warming would make it far more difficult to overcome poverty. And, ironically, by prolonging and even spreading poverty, those policies would put more of the natural environment at risk.

People worried about putting food on the table, clothes on the back, and a roof over the head can’t afford to care or do much about air, water, and solid waste pollution. Gathering enough twigs and branches to cook tonight’s measly meal and heat a miserable hut take precedence over any concerns about deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss.

Wealth enables people to afford better environmental stewardship. Pope Francis should champion economic development as a solution both to poverty and to environmental degradation. Unfortunately, at least as regards climate change, the leaked draft of the new encyclical does the opposite.” [17]

The Cornwall Alliance released a campaign[18] to combat popular views regarding global warming. The campaign is titled “Resisting the Green Dragon” and includes a video series described as a “biblical response to one of the greatest deceptions of our day.”

The series, designed by Beisner, portrays those who belief in climate change as following a “false religion.” [1]

Beisner co-authored a Interfaith Stewardship Alliance (ISA) report refuting the work of an opposing religious organization called the Evangelical Climate Initiative[21].

The ISA report was titled A Call to Truth, Prudence and Protection of the Poor: an Evangelical Response to Global Warming (PDF[22]).

Along with the report was a letter of endorsement signed by numerous representatives of various organizations, including six that have received a total of $2.32 million in donations from oil-giant ExxonMobil over the last three years.

At the time of ISA's launch, the organization released a report (PDF[26]) titled, “An Examination of the Scientific, Ethical and Theological Implications of Climate Change Policy.”

The purpose of the report was to “examine the scientific questions surrounding global warming, carbon reductions, and puts forth Biblical principles that can guide Christians in making policy decisions on the environment.”

Affiliations

Publications

Although Beisner has not written any peer-reviewed papers on the subject of climate change, he has written many articles criticizing the science of global warming in the context of the Evangelical faith, including:

In 2005, Beisner wrote an article (PDF)[33] criticizing a judicial ruling barring intelligent design from a biology class curriculum. He wrote: [9]

[t]he aggressive, extreme secularism that would reject all reference in biology studies to intelligent design of irreducibly complex structures is more patently unscientific and more obviously religious than what most people have encountered in discussing evolution and creation. Perhaps a few more will waken now to the fact that the public schools are the enemy, not the friend, and not even a neutral party to Christians, and therefore (a) remove their kids from them and (b) stop working with them.” (emphasis added)

In 1990, Beisner wrote a piece[34] criticizing the need for further federal spending on AIDS research, treatment and education. In the article Beisner asks, “…is it rational to allocate $3.5 billion dollars to fight a disease that is almost 100 percent self-inflicted by people intent on immoral and irrational behavior?” (emphasis added) [10]

Beisner goes on to claim that the “simple fact is that militant homosexuals have a potent lobby on Capitol Hill and at the White House. They know how to get politicians' attention. Only that can explain the irrational policies that have prevailed toward AIDS…” (emphasis added).

Resources

Testimony of Dr. E. Calvin Beisner to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the United States House of Representatives, Wednesday, March 25, 2009 (PDF[36]).